1. Field of the Invention
The disclosures herein generally relate to information processing apparatuses, data outputting systems, and recording media having a data generating program embodied therein, and particularly relate to an information processing apparatus for generating output data in a format processable by a connected data outputting apparatus, a data outputting system including such an information processing apparatus and at least one data outputting apparatus, and a recording medium having a data generating program embodied therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
An information processing apparatus such as a personal computer (hereinafter simply referred to as a PC) may be connected via a network or serial line to a peripheral apparatus such as a printer, a scanner, or a facsimile (FAX) machine). In such a configuration, a PC is provided with a device driver for converting data generated or viewed by application software installed therein into data that is processable by the peripheral apparatus.
In the case of an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer or multifunction printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) being connected as a peripheral apparatus, a PC is generally provided with an embedded printer driver dedicated for this printer. Such a printer driver converts data generated and/or viewed by application software into data written in a page description language (PDL) that is processable by the printer. In order to use a plurality of printers on a network from a single PC, the PC needs to be provided with a plurality of printer drivers embedded therein in one-to-one correspondence to these printers.
An operation performed to embed a device driver in a PC is generally referred to as an installment. Such an installment operation is often restricted for the purpose of network management such that only a specified administrator can perform the installment. Further, the installment procedure is comprised of complicated tasks. When a new printer driver is installed in a business for which printing is an important part of the business, an operation test may be performed prior to the use of the printer driver in the actual business of the business in order to check whether basic print tasks can properly be performed. When a printer driver already installed in a PC needs to be updated for functional extension, a new device driver having new functions may generally be installed. Upon the installment of such a device driver, an administrator generally checks the system environment in which the new device driver is embedded. This check requires a large amount of time and labor. In some cases, it may take three months more or less to perform a check for one installed device driver.
It is thus desirable to provide a single driver that is usable for a plurality of different models. The use of such a driver usable for different models eliminates the need for installment and check operations upon connecting a new peripheral apparatus to a PC. This arrangement is expected to bring about significant cost reduction in terms of check operations.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-9967 discloses an information processing apparatus and the like that can generate data processable by various apparatuses regardless of the types of the apparatuses and expanded functions.
In the information processing apparatus disclosed in the above-noted patent publication, however, apparatus information needs to be incorporated as add-in data. Some workload is thus required on the part of a user although not so heavy as the workload associated with driver installment.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an information processing apparatus that can generate data processable by apparatuses regardless of the types of the apparatuses and the types of extended functions without needing device information in advance.